NEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Friday approved Rs 3,500 crore for infrastructure upgrade of Prasar Bharati network. The proposals include strengthening of AIR and Doordarshan network along the Indo-Nepal border to counter Chinese propaganda.

Transmitters established under the proposals will also target 65% of Nepal's population.

The other schemes approved by the Cabinet include proposals like expanding Doordarshan's DTH platform and establishing infrastructure for AIR.

The CCEA gave its nod to some schemes of the 11th plan which are at different stages of implementation and also some new schemes, an official statement said.

Under the new schemes, eight terrestrial transmitters are proposed along the Indo-Nepal border and these are targeted to cover 65% of the population of Nepal, the statement said.

As part of the 11th plan scheme, the capacity of DD's DTH is being expanded from 59 channels to 97 channels. In the 12th plan, it is proposed to be increased to 250 channels. Another proposal under the 12th plan is related to installation of 23 digital terrestrial transmitter (DTTs).

Provisions have also been kept for modernization of existing equipment or facilities in studios and satellite uplinks which are essential to sustain ongoing activities and also for high definition television (HDTV) studio facilities in Chennai and Kolkata, the statement said.

For AIR, FM expansion at 118 places besides eight FM broadcasting set-ups along the Indo-Nepal border, replacement of old FM transmitters at 77 locations and six MW transmitters by FM transmitters, digitalization of 29 studios and creation of archival facility at Guwahati are envisaged.

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Cabinet okays Rs 3,500 crore upgrade of Prasar Bharati network

In an effort to upgrade Prasar Bharatis broadcast infrastructure and network, the government on Friday approved proposals worth Rs. 3,500 crore for AIR and Doordarshan which include setting up of TV transmitters along the Indo-Nepal border. The transmitters are also targeted to cover 65 per cent of the population of Nepal.

Other schemes approved by the Union Cabinet include proposals like expanding Doordarshans DTH platform and establishing infrastructure for AIR. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had approved the proposal of Information and Broadcasting Ministry regarding the 12th Plan scheme of All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development. The CCEA has given its nod to some schemes of the 11th Plan which are at different stages of implementation and also some new schemes, an official statement said.

Under the new schemes, eight Television Terrestrial Transmitters are proposed along the Indo-Nepal border and these are targeted to cover 65 per cent of the population of Nepal, the statement said.

As part of the 11th Plan scheme, the capacity of DDs DTH is being expanded from 59 channels to 97 channels in the 12th Plan, it is proposed to be increased to 250 channels. Another proposal under the 12th Plan is related to installation of 23 Digital Terrestrial Transmitter (DTTs).

Provisions have also been kept for modernisation of existing equipment or facilities in studios and satellite uplinks which are essential to sustain ongoing activities and also for High Definition Television (HDTV) studio facilities at Chennai and Kolkata, the statement said.

For AIR, FM expansion at 118 places besides eight FM broadcasting set ups along the Indo-Nepal border, replacement of old FM transmitters at 77 locations and six MW transmitters by FM Transmitters, digitalisation of 29 studios and creation of archival facility at Guwahati are envisaged.

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Cabinet approves proposals worth Rs.3,500 crore for AIR, DD

A government of technocrats is expected to be in place next week. Outgoing housing minister Ibrahim Mehleb, onetime member of president Hosni Mubaraks now dissolved National Democratic Party, was asked on Tuesday by interim President Adli Mansour to form a new government.

Mondays resignation by prime minister Hazem Al-Beblawi and his entire cabinet took analysts by surprise despite the recent flurry of stories promoting Mehleb as a possible replacement for Al-Beblawi.

Hani Mahmoud, the outgoing minister of administrative development, told reporters he had been summoned by phone on Monday morning to attend a rescheduled cabinet meeting. It began with prime minister Al-Beblawi briefly informing ministers that he had decided to resign to make room for the appointment of new blood. Most cabinet members were taken by surprise. We assumed the weekly cabinet meeting had been rescheduled so the prime minister could fly to Nigeria on the same day.

Al-Beblawi, said Mahmoud, informed his cabinet members that he had told Mansour on Sunday that his government had completed its job having worked to contain the violence that exploded after 30 June, improve security conditions and hold a referendum on the newly-drafted constitution. I think we can be proud of what we have achieved. Now it is the time for a new government to take charge, Mahmoud cited Al-Beblawi as saying.

According to cabinet spokesman Hani Salaheddin, the prime minister told the cabinet meeting that the coming stage in Egypts life is critical and that a new government was required to implement the second stage holding presidential and parliamentary elections of Egypts post-30 June political roadmap.

Speculation that a wave of industrial action in the last two weeks hastened Al-Beblawis departure is groundless, says Abdallah Al-Sinnawi, a former editor of Al-Arabi newspaper. These suggestions might furnish some kind of official excuse but the fact is the extent of strikes has been wildly exaggerated. They are limited and have caused little disruption to daily life.

It is far more likely, says Al-Sinnawi, that the government was forced to resign.

He points out that Al-Beblawi has been noticeably opaque about the reasons behind his decision. Al-Sinnawi does not rule out the possibility that the military, led by Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, orchestrated the cabinets removal.

Al-Sisi is expected to run in the presidential polls and it could easily be that the generals concluded a new government, presided over by a younger and more energetic prime minister like Mehleb, would best serve Al-Sisis presidential agenda.

A team has already been assembled to run Al-Sisis campaign, says Al-Sinnawi. From what I hear it includes Mubarak-era foreign minister and Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa as political advisor and the outgoing minister of youth Khaled Abdel-Aziz as executive director.

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Cabinet vacancies

Construction is scheduled to start in March on a $131.5-million bridge over the Tennessee River in western Kentucky that will replace the aging Eggners Ferry Bridge.

The old bridge was shut down after a cargo ship struck it, taking out a 322-ft span in 2012.

Fort Worth, Texas-based Johnson Brothers Corp. won the bid for the new four-lane bridge that will carry U.S. 68/Ky. 80 traffic over Kentucky Lake at the Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area.

Gov. Steve Beshear (D) in a Feb. 11 statement called the bridge and a companion replacement span over Lake Barkley "a priority of my administration."

With 2,800 daily vehicles, the bridge is the only Tennessee River crossing in Kentucky. During the four months it was closed, motorists had to take a 90-minute detour.

Designed by Michael Baker Inc., the basket-handle bridge, which will replace the narrow, two-lane structure built in 1932, will be 3,611 ft long, with a 550-ft main span.

It will include shoulders and a 10-ft pedestrian-bicycle lane. The total project length is 9,080 ft, with four approach spans totaling 1,409 ft on the west side, five approach spans totaling 1,653 ft on the east side, a 550-ft lagoon bridge and 2,400 ft of causeways.

It will have a vertical clearance of 67 ft and a 502-ft-wide navigational clearance span, says Keith Todd, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spokesman.

The schedule calls for traffic to be moved to the new bridge by December 2015, although six to 10 months of finish work will remain after that, he adds.

The lagoon bridge and causeway work is under way in a $25-million project awarded to Jim Smith Contracting, Grand Rivers, Ky. The contract includes about $7 million for load testing to aid the main crossing's pier design, Todd says.

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Bid Awarded For Replacement Of Struck Kentucky Bridge

26 Feb 2014 13:29

Fixed fire stations under threat as cabinet member admits they are not part of Surrey County Council's future ambitions

Fire engines operating "not from fixed fire stations" but dispatched while out doing community work is the ambition of Surrey County Council, it has emerged.

The vision came out as the council's cabinet member for community services, Helyn Clack, answered questions at a meeting on Tuesday (February 25) over the future fire coverage in east Surrey, but her answer applied to the rest of the county at a time when the authority is looking to cut fire stations.

Surrey currently has plans to shut depots in Staines, Sunbury, Walton and Esher, and replace them with two new stations, as well as moving fire engines from stations in Reigate and Epsom to new bases.

Mike Sawyer, vice chairman of the Banstead Village Residents Association, asked questions on studies that went into locating new sites and criticised Surrey's consultation into the matter.

Responding to the questions, Cllr Clack, outlined the work that had gone into Surrey Fire and Rescues forward plan, before adding: "Our ambition for the future is to operate not from fixed fire stations but use fire engines for community work and dispatch them when theyre out and about, so they can be mobilised from anywhere."

A spokesman for Surrey County Council later said that this was what the authority would like in an "ideal world" but that it did not necessarily mean it would come to pass.

Richard Jones, secretary of the Surrey Fire Brigade Union, said: "I can't think of what an alternative to fixed fire stations would be.

"You've got to have a base. You can't be on the road all day.

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Future of Surrey fire stations in doubt

Maggie Michael, The Associated Press Published Tuesday, February 25, 2014 2:13PM EST

CAIRO, Egypt -- Egypt's interim president chose the outgoing housing minister, a construction magnate from the era of ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak, as his new prime minister on Tuesday, some two months ahead of key presidential elections.

The switch from veteran economist Hazem el-Beblawi to Ibrahim Mehlib, who successfully led Egypt's biggest construction company for a decade, appeared orchestrated to give Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the country's military chief, a window for a quieter street after a spike in labour strikes with the potential of triggering wider unrest.

El-Sissi overthrew Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July and backed el-Beblawi's government through tumultuous times, including a heavy crackdown on Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, and a nationwide referendum that adopted a new constitution while Islamic militant insurgency and terror attacks surged.

With his presidential bid almost certain, el-Sissi must leave the military to run for president. However, a senior government official said the 59-year-old soldier will retain his defence minister's post in the next Cabinet. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the press.

"There is a need for a fresh face to deal with the strikes," said Mohammed Aboul Ghar, head of the Egyptian Social Democratic party, from which el-Beblawi hails. "El-Beblawi was supposed to stay for two more months but the strikes propelled a speed-up in pushing through the changes."

A change of government before the presidential vote would also spare el-Sissi the disruption associated with forming a new one if he becomes president, a near certainty given his sweeping popularity and the relative weakness of his rivals -- likely a leftist politician and a retired general.

The surprise resignation of el-Beblawi's Cabinet and its swift replacement also reflects that the country' economic woes are enough to daunt anyone who fills the land's highest office.

However since Mubarak's ouster in a 2011 uprising, persistent turmoil has sapped investment and tourism, draining the country of its main sources of foreign currency. The military's removal of Morsi and the subsequent street violence have deepened the country's economic woes.

While the anti-Islamist oil-rich Gulf countries have poured in billions of dollars in grants and loans to keep the country's economy afloat, tens of thousands of textile workers, doctors, pharmacists and even policemen have gone on strike in recent days. Schools and universities had their mid-year break extended by a month because of concerns over the security situation and the spread of swine flu.

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Egypt names new PM to ease way for el-Sissi's presidential bid

However, Mr Beblawi gave no indication that his resignation was in any way an act of protest against the hard-line military and intelligence figures currently controlling much of Egypt's politics from behind the scenes.

"The Cabinet has, in the last six or seven months, responsibly and dutifully shouldered a very difficult and delicate burden and I believe that, in most cases, we have achieved good results," he said.

"But like any endeavor, it cannot all be success but rather within the boundaries of what is humanly possible."

He said Egypt was in a "narrow tunnel in terms of security, economic pressures and political confusion".

His replacement was widely expected to be Ibrahim Mahlab, the housing minister, according to Egyptian media, but it was also suggested that Mr Beblawi might be asked to stay on for an interim period - presumably until Field Marshal Sisi is ready to make a formal announcement of his candidacy, which would require him to stand down as defence minister.

Mr Beblawi, an economist who followed a "technocratic" route to office like many Egyptian cabinet ministers after a career in banking, was previously finance minister and deputy premier during the period of interim military rule following the fall of ex-President Hosni Mubarak three years ago.

He resigned in October 2011 in protest at the military's killing of more than 20 Christian protesters outside the state television building, but remained in office for a further two months.

Mr Mahlabs appointment would reinforce the widespread sense that the military is overseeing a return to the Mubarak era shorn of the man himself. A member of Mr Mubaraks National Democratic Party, he ran the state-owned construction company, Arab Contractors, and was appointed to the upper house of parliament directly by Mr Mubarak in 2010.

He is seen as close to the army but also as more dynamic than Mr Beblawi.

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Egyptian cabinet quits

VANCEBURG | A construction company has been chosen to construct a replacement for a Lewis County Bridge.

E and E Construction has been chosen to replace Butler Branch Bridge, which sits on Butler Branch Road, off Laurel Road, according to Judge-Executive Todd Ruckel.

The total cost of the project is $44,800.

Ruckel said there was no advertising for bids due to the dire situation with the bridge.

"We declared it an emergency and when you do that you don't have to advertise for bids," Ruckel said.

During a December meeting of Lewis County Fiscal Court, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet representative Larry Tincher said the bridge was in terrible condition and not safe for travel.

"I wouldn't ride my bike across it," he said. "It's not safe for anyone to be on."

County Road Supervisor Bob Moore said there were several issues with the decking, beams and abutments.

"The decking is bad, the beams are bad. Pretty much everything is wrong with the bridge," Moore said.

The bridge has been in need of replacement for some time and in December it was closed to traffic, while the county officials applied for emergency funding.

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Construction company chosen for bridge replacement

February 15, 2014

by Terence Netto@http://www.malaysiakini.com

COMMENT In his first press conference after being named Chief Minister-elect of Sarawak, Adenan Satem (right) said he will not be making any changes to his cabinet.

I dont believe in changing horses in midstream, cracked Adenan at his first press conference yesterday, when asked about what he plans to do with a state cabinet he will have inherited from retiring CM Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Last Wednesday, Adenan was chosen by Abdul Taib as the replacement chief minister when the latter retires on February 28.

While the 69-year-old Adenan wont want to rock the boat for the simple reason that the major movers and shakers in the state BN are all on edge at the start of the post-Taib era, he cannot defer for long the naming of the Deputy Chief Ministers.

Under Taibs 33-year tenure as Chief Minister, Sarawak was used to having two Deputy Chief Ministers.

Alfred Jabu Numpang (left), Deputy President of Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), is the incumbent DCM (1), and while he was in the cabinet until his defeat in the state election of April 2011, George Chan of Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) was DCM (2).

The DCM (2) post has been vacant since the 2011 state polls when SUPP lost in 12 of the 19 constituencies it contested.

Once installed as Chief Minister on February 28, would Adenan simply maintain the status quo, with Alfred Jabu as DCM (1) and leave the other DCM post vacant, or would he tweak the formula of balanced representation to reflect a new pecking order?

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Comment on CM-Elect Adenan in tricky Deputy tangle by looes74

Extra car parking at Wickham and Bishop's Waltham

4:00pm Thursday 13th February 2014 in News By Lauren Howard, Reporter

PARKING problems look set to be eased after civic chiefs agreed to extend spaces across the Winchester district.

Cabinet members approved to develop more parking within the city centre, Wickham and Bishops Waltham as part of a proposed major repair programme.

The proposal could see up to 600,000 spent developing car parks over the next two years. Councillors voted to have an additional 40 spaces in Wickham. Reports conducted over the last 12 months indicated the village car park was at capacity most days. The proposal should see the extension of the existing car park at Wickham station.

Cllr Thrse Evans said: Parking is very difficult in Wickham. Extra parking spaces will relieve pressure on the Square.

A further 70 spaces were agreed for Bishops Waltham, of which the most viable site identified was Jubilee Hall. The new Wellbeing Centre currently being developed by the parish council will incorporate the new spaces.

Cllr Steve Miller said: Thank you on behalf of Bishops Waltham. Its very welcoming to get adequate car parking.

The programme, as approved by cabinet in February last year, has seen works undertaken at Chesil Street multi story car park including the partial replacement of the drainage system, replacement of some damaged internal fire doors and extensive painting at the site.

Some 51,000 has been set aside for new LED lighting on the eight floors at Chesil, saving future energy costs.

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Extra car parking at Wickham and Bishop's Waltham